Sky Filled With Stars
by OfTheOcean
Summary: "You weren't just a star to me, you were the whole damn sky." Loki/Jane.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was filled with stars that night. Jane sat on the edge of her roof, bundled up in blankets and clutching a hot cup of coffee in her frozen hands. She swung her legs back and forth as she stared up at the brilliance of the sky above her. During the day, she studied the stars as a scientist. But at night, she would look up at them and imagine the stories they told and the amazing things out there, beyond anything her scientific studies could tell her.

She was so enraptured in the stars, she didn't notice the shadows stir and somebody step lightly out of them, as softly as a cat.

"Hello, Jane Foster."

She jumped and turned her head.

It was Loki.

The last time she had seen him, it was after the war between The Dark Elves and Asgard had finally finished and Malekith had been defeated. Once everything had been sorted out, they returned to the palace and Thor, after a long consultation with Odin, had finally delivered the verdict to Loki and her; separately, of course.  
Loki would be freed from his cell, but not allowed to leave the palace or its grounds. Not, at least, until he could prove trustworthy, which meant, to the Allfather, never.

"Uh, hi."

Piercing blue eyes met brown as he turned his head to look at her. He was very tall, she noticed yet again. Not as tall as Thor, perhaps, but he gave a different sort of air from Thor. Wilder, more dangerous. Loki was unpredictable, that was the only thing predictable about him. You never knew what he would do, whether he would grin at you or slit your throat. However, tonight, Loki did not seem to want to do either of them.

He sat down gracefully next to her, so close his leg briefly brushed her's, before concentrating his focus up at the stars, an occupation Jane had been doing just a few moments ago. But instead of turning back to looking at the stars, she studied him. He was so close she could see the individual lashes surrounding his eyes. They were surprisingly bright blue, big and expressive. If they had not belonged to a man she knew had killed dozens of people, she would have called them puppy eyes.

But he had helped to save her life, as well as the millions of people in every realm who would have died if Malekith had taken over. Surely that was enough to forgive him, even a little bit?

They sat in silence for a while, Jane still watching Loki. Even if you had forced her, she never would have admitted it, but she found Loki just as fascinating as the stars. He was was as unlike Thor as night and day. Where Thor was outspoken, he was quiet. Where Thor used brute force, he used magic and tricks and his brain to get him out of situations. She loved Thor; he was sweet and chivalrous, everything Loki wasn't, but he wasn't anything like Loki. And besides, Jane reasoned, I'm a scientist, maybe I should study the people as well as the places. You could learn a lot from people, she knew that. And Loki was an... interesting place to start.

"Um, I know this is a kinda awkward question, but aren't you supposed to, uh, be stuck in the palace or something?" She felt herself blushing as the words left her lips; it seemed strange to be talking to the person who destroyed New York in such an informal manner.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to cause any trouble." He gave a bitter laugh. "Unless, of course, me just being here would cause trouble for you. But it won't, surely, if Thor or Odin don't know. However, if you tell them..." He looked intently at her, traces of a familiar grin brushing the corners of his mouth.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them." She felt suddenly inclined to assure him. "Besides, I have a feeling Thor wouldn't be too happy with me for allowing you to stay here instead of alerting him straight away." She smiled laughingly. He smiled back, barely a half smile, but definitely there.

The air felt instantly less tense. It was as if she had reached some kind of unspoken agreement with Loki. Which was very weird, when she thought about it. But then, the whole scenario was weird. She was sitting on a roof at midnight with Loki, Thor's brother and destroyer of New York. What about this situation wasn't the weirdest thing?

"So, how's Asgard? And Thor?" She felt compelled to ask. I mean, If she was going to be sitting on a rooftop with his brother at midnight, she might as well ask if he was okay. Even to ease her conscience, which was starting to prick a little.

Loki sighed. "Thor is well and Asgard is prosperous; the Nine Realms are at peace and have fully accepted Asgard as the strongest of them."

"But.. what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You know, for the supposed 'God' of Lies, you're not very good at it." She raised her eyebrows at him. He huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't seem all that offended.

"Maybe that's because I deemed I didn't need to try to lie to a mortal."

"Well, maybe this 'mortal' thinks that you have a way too low opinion of her. Besides, you and an entire army were beaten, by what, six people when you tried to take over the world? We're not that dumb, you know."

"Touché." Loki smiled, wider this time. She had never seen him smile like that before. Sure, the cocky grin of somebody who's won, she'd seen that before. But his smiles had never been this genuine.

They lapsed into silence for a while, content just with the company of the stars, and perhaps, each other. Thor was never the type of person to stay still or in silence for long; he didn't seem to see the point of just not doing anything for a while. She loved him and found even that trait endearing, but sometimes, even when Thor wasn't around, all she wanted was a little peace and quiet. Especially with Darcy around. Boy, could that girl talk.

It was probably only half an hour, but it felt like a blissful forever, when Loki unexpectedly stood up. She scrambled to her feet; her legs had gone to sleep, and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Lady Jane, for allowing me to stay here for a little while." He murmured teasingly. She grinned and ran a hand through her messed up hair.

"It's fine. I guess... it was nice to have somebody to watch the stars with me."

Loki smiled fleetingly and locking his eyes with hers, stepped back unto the shadows. The last thing she saw of him were bright blue eyes watching her still from the darkness, before he disappeared entirely.

Jane stretched herself out and, opening the trapdoor, stepped down the ladder and went to her bedroom, where she quickly snuggled under the sheets. She was still smiling, long after she had fallen asleep.

Walking invisible through the dark streets of New York, Loki though over his encounter with Jane. What a feisty, clever little thing she was! I suppose, not all mortals are so terribly boring and stupid, he surmised to himself as reached for his magic and with a movement of his hand and couple of spoken words, teleported away.

* * *

 _My first Lokane fic! I'm excited to death about this. I love Lokane, it's such an adorable pairing!_  
 _Anyway, if you're confused about this story in any way, just review me and I'll explain everything next chapter._

 _People who review get a cookie! But seriously, I would love it if you could give me feedback. I've never written a story with any pairing before, let alone non-canon, so constructive criticism would be great? Do you think I made Jane or Loki too OOC?_

 _I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

"Jane… Psst, Jane, wake up!"

Jane blinked open her eyes and immediately shut them again. Darcy had somehow invaded her room and opened the curtains, letting the bright sunlight (strange for a winter morning) into the room.

"Darcy… what the hell are you doing? It's…" She checked the clock on her bedside stand, "Seven in the morning."

Darcy turned her head, her hair flopping over her face and raised her eyebrows at Jane.

"Seriously? Most mornings, you're awake way before this. Did you go stargazing last night? I mean, apart from the fact you're, like, super-tired, I went on to the roof this morning to see if I'd left my IPod up there and found a half finished cup of hot cocoa just left on the edge of the roof. It had grown a skin and everything, which was gross – and a waste of good hot cocoa… but back to the subject, have you seen my IPod?"

Jane groaned and threw the covers back over her head. Just like Darcy, to wake Jane up before she was completely ready to wake up. Luckily, she didn't have to deal with this often, as Darcy wasn't exactly a morning person. Speaking of which…

"Why are you up this early anyway? You never get up early."

Darcy looked offended. "Hey, I can get up early! But…" She continued hurriedly, seeing Jane's facial expression, "You have a visitor."

"Who?!" Jane pushed back the covers and rolled out of bed like a ninja. Well, not exactly, but deal with it.

"Go and see." Darcy pointed her thumb towards the door, having been too busy inspecting Jane's room to actually look at her.

"Darcy." Jane began patiently.

"Huh?"

"Get out my room."

"Oh, fine. Though, you should probably do something about this mess…"

"Darcy, go away." Jane pulled on her dressing gown and tied the robe in a bow, while slipping on, well, her slippers.

Darcy glared at her disapprovingly. "You're seriously going down like that?"

Jane met her gaze with a slightly even more irritated look, if that was possible. "If they're going to visit at seven in the damn morning, then they can get what they have coming at them."

Darcy sighed. "Fine, Just don't say I didn't warn you. Wait, is that my IPod?" She pulled the blanket off a stool to find it was, indeed, her I-Pod.

"JANE!"

Jane beat a hasty retreat, running out her room and lightly down the stairs, straight into the kitchen.

Loki sat on her counter, looking about the room in a bored fashion. When she came in, however, his eyes immediately went to her, only to look her up and down, barely concealed mirth bubbling in his eyes. Jane blushed a tomato red and crossed her arms over herself. She was going to kill Darcy for not telling her who it was.

It was a full minute before Loki spoke, smiling lightly.

"Hello. Miss Foster." Jane nodded and gave him a quick smile in return. Then, deciding the awkwardness had abated a bit, decided to walk over to the kettle and make herself some coffee.

"That's an interesting outfit you are wearing today." Loki casually remarked, inspecting the kitchen again. She wished he wouldn't; the counter was still cluttered with stuff and the washing up was sitting in the sink from yesterday. She inwardly cringed, both at the prospect of having to clean this mess up and at the idea of what Loki was thinking. Neither were particularly appealing.

"It's my pajamas. For sleeping in. Because they're comfy. Besides, it's seven in the morning, don't expect me to look fantastic." Loki snorted; she wasn't qite sure what he found so funny about what she just said, but she wasn't going to complain. It was too early for that.

The kettle beeped and, taking it off the stand, yawned widely. She'd been up half the night looking at the stars, which were especially bright that night, and secretly hoping Loki was going to come back. Not that she expected him too, in fact, it completely surprised her to find him back here. She had thought it was just a one off thing but, apparently, Loki did not.

"You seem tired, Miss Foster. Did you watch the stars last night?" Loki asked. He knew perfectly well what she had been doing, Jane thought, but the silence was getting a bit oppressive.

"Yeah, I was. They were really beautiful last night, there were no clouds so I could see loads of them perfectly. It was amazing."

Loki chuckled. "If you think the stars on Earth are amazing, you should see them from Asgard. You would enjoy that, I think. Maybe-" He hesitated. "Maybe you should ask Thor to take you to see them, next time he visits you."

"That would be awesome! I can't wait to ask him!" Jane burst out. She rushed over to the calendar pinned to a wall and pulled it off, flipping through it excitedly.

"What's this?"Loki watched Jane as she flipped through the calendar and finally found the date she was looking for.

"Oh, me and Thor decided to designate some dates for when he should come and visit and when he leaves, so that I can prepare for him coming and he doesn't come when I'm in the bath or in my PJ's or something." She glared at Loki, but Loki only innocently stared back. His eyes were her favourite shade of blue, she noticed. Not that that had anything to do with anything. It was just an observation. Nothing more.

"So, what are you doing here anyway? I mean, I thought Thor had stopped your magic-" She bit the rest off. She was very aware that she knew some things that Loki and Thor didn't intend for her to know.

Loki snorted. "Thor only put some cuffs that restrict my magic onto me and they were easily broken by a strong spell. Had he thought I had enough strength to break the simple ones he decided would actually stop me, then I wouldn't be here now. So, you can thank Thor's underestimation of me for my visits here."

Jane frowned. That didn't sound like Thor... maybe he just wanted to see the best in his brother and to trust him. To bad his brother wasn't exactly trustable.

"Okay... as long as you don't make any trouble. The moment you do, I will tell Thor everything."

"Of course. What other action would there be to take?" He smirked down at her from the counter to where she had sat down at the table, her mug of coffee in front of her. She took a sip and grimaced. Urgh, it had gone cold. Never mind, she thought as she poured the drink down the sink and laid the cup down next to it.

Loki watched her do this, a tiny grin still touching the corners of his mouth. It was getting kind of irritating, like he was constantly laughing at her. But she couldn't exactly tell him to stop smiling, that would sound weird. Really weird-

"What is it?"

Jane started and turned her attention back to Loki.

"What's what?"

"The drink."

"Oh! Um, it's coffee. Do you want some?"

Loki considered this for a moment. "I suppose there is no harm in trying."

"Um, okay." Jane popped the kettle back on and ran to get another mug. It quickly boiled and soon Jane was handing the cup to Loki, with the cautionary words of 'Careful, it's hot'.

Loki took a sip and Jane waited with baited breath to see how he would react. It was almost a disappointment when he wrinkled up his nose and sat the cup down. Of course he wouldn't like it, Jane thought. He's probably used to, Nectar of Olympus or something. Wait, that was Greek. But whatever, he probably had better things to drink in Asgard than coffee.

"Is that all you drink here?" Loki inquired, a look of ever so slight disgust on his face. Man, he was hot- no he wasn't, he was way too thin and didn't have any color in his face. He definitely wasn't her type. At all.

"Um, no. We drink.. other things."

"Like what?"

"I don't know... tea?"

Loki nodded his head towards her cupboard and she finally got it. Inspecting the contents of her cupboard, she wondered if she even had tea. Darcy and her didn't drink it, but Erik came occasionally and liked a cup of it now and again when he visited. Would Loki like tea, she mused. She could imagine that, actually, Loki delicately holding a tea cup and taking tiny sips of tea. Not at all like Thor, who tended to drink it all up in one gulp. And eat her out of house and home. She smiled; he was so cute.

Finally, she found a jar full of tea bags at the very back. She pulled one out and made the tea, hesitating over whether to put in sugar, or milk.

"Do you want any sugar or milk or something?" She indicated towards said items.

Loki looked at them just a second, then shook his head. He was being very quiet, she noticed. Did she say something to offend him? Surely not, she had only offered him coffee. Wait, had that offended him? No, that was dumb. Who would get offended by somebody giving them coffee? Still, Loki was very hard to red. Maybe he was imply waiting for the tea while she was busy thinking about how she had offended him. That was probably just it. Jeez, Jane, she scolded herself, stop reading into things too much.

She passed the cup over to Loki and he delicately took it, holding it just as she had imagined. Stifling a giggle, she watched as he took a tiny sip and his eyes widened.

"So, do you like it?" Jane asked, hopeful.

"For a Midgardian drink, it is tolerable."

Jane took that as a good sign. Loki wasn't exactly the most outgoing with emotions and his words were always measured, pointed, put together just right to do the job they were supposed to do.

They sat together in silence, Loki on the counter and Jane at the table, until he had finished the tea. Then, he slid off the counter in one smooth motion and smiled briefly at Jane.

"Thank you, Miss Foster. For the tea-" he gestured to the empty cup- "And the company."

"Oh, um. Bye. It was nice having you around as well."

Loki nodded at her, all politeness and strode out the door. She head the front door clicking after him as he left.

"Jane! Why did you take my Ipod? I was looking for that for ages! That was pretty mean, you know." Darcy bounced in and confronted Jane.

"No... particular reason." Darcy's eyes narrowed and she scrutinized Jane. The suddenly an answer seemed to come to her and she laughed.

"You were listening to songs, weren't you? See, I told you my music taste wasn't terrible!" Jane sighed. Darcy was too clever for her own good sometimes.

"You know, if you want to use it, just ask me. I'm cool with it. So, Loki's gone?" Jane remembered the embarrassment of coming down to the kitchen in her pajamas and her cheeks flared.

"Why didn't you tell me it was him?!"

"I told you you'd regret it."

Jane covered her face with her hands, tired. Darcy was right. Again.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go to the store, do you want anything?" Jane shook her head.

"Okay, I'll be back soon. Be good. And get changed!" Darcy swung out the room and seconds later, Jane heard the front door opening. A sudden thought hit her and she called out after Darcy.

"Yeah?"

"Actually, could you buy a couple of packets of tea? We might need it."

"Uh, sure." And then Darcy was out the door.

* * *

 _Next chapter done! So excited! Reviewers get cookies!_  
 _Imagine Loki wrinkling his nose in disgust, just like a kitten... (Dies from cuteness overdose)._  
 _Dawh, they're so cute together!_


	3. Chapter 3

Jane had been tossing and turning all night. She couldn't sleep; excitement was pumping through her veins and her stomach was full of butterflies. It had been so long, but now, finally, Thor was coming to visit.

It had just struck five when Jane gave up on sleeping and pulled herself up. Thor was coming at midday; she had plenty of time to get things ready for him.

She pulled on her dressing gown and went into the kitchen, checking the cupboards to see if she had enough coffee. She had already done this several times the night before, but even that had failed to extinguish the butterflies in her stomach. So she did it again, in a vain hope that maybe, if she checked everything was okay, the butterflies would fly away.

Soon, she would dress and start preparing the last minute things, like the meal. But for now, she would sit down, eat something, and try to calm the jitters in her stomach.

* * *

"Loki!" Loki paused, the book he was reading balanced in his hands and looked up. He was standing by a shelf in the library, trying to find something he hadn't read already, since he had been reading for little less than a thousand years and that was plenty of time to read every book in the library.

He remembered a time when the books were replenished regularly, but after… after Frigga passed away, the library became abandoned by all, as a remembrance of the tragedy all the people of Asgard had felt.

Until Loki had decided, quite recently, that he was sick of doing nothing all day and decided, to the chagrin of many others, to pass the sacred boundaries of the library and to start reading the books that had been gathering dust on the shelves.

Thor was coming down the hallway, his eyes alert with worry. It was then Loki remembered; it was the day Thor was due to visit Jane.

He remembered how she had practically torn the calendar off the wall in her haste to show Loki the date in which Thor would be coming and he could imagine how excited she would be. Strange little mortal, he thought to himself. Why anybody would be excited for the visit of his brother, he could not fathom.

"Loki!" That was Thor again. Loki looked at his position near the shelf at the entrance of the library: that was no good, Thor would see him immediately. He stepped back, behind a nearby pillar and slowed his breathing. Thor probably wouldn't hear him anyway, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Loki, please, come out. I need to talk to you." Thor pleaded. Thor saying please? That was a first. Usually he acted like Loki wasn't a prince of Asgard, but that he was a tiny mortal, barely worth glancing at, let alone being respectful to.

Still, he wasn't going to respond. Maybe once, he would have, but talking to Thor nowadays was always awkward, full of suspicious glances (mainly from Thor) and careful words. He'd never thought that he'd be speaking like one would a stranger to Thor, his brother and closest companion for as long as he could remember.

But he isn't your brother, Loki sharply reminded himself. Thor was just a person he had happened to grow up with. He wasn't his brother. Not anymore.

"Loki, if you insist on not coming to talk to me face to face, I will relay the message for you. Odin Allfather insists you stay in your rooms for the duration of my visit to Jane; if you break this rule he will be forced to restrict you even more." Thor did not need to say more. Loki sighed and, still holding the book, stepped out from behind the pillar.

"Loki!" Thor looked mildly surprised, he obviously didn't expect Loki to show himself.

"Who did you expect? Mother?" Loki spoke sharply and Thor visibly flinched. It still hurt him, Loki observed. It hurt Loki too, but he had long gotten used to the ache in his chest, where the thing he loved most was missing. After all, he'd had that feeling for a while and Frigga's death had only amplified it.

"Loki..." Thor sighed. Then his eyes fell on the books and his brows softened. "You may take as many books as you want. I am not leaving until midday, so you have until then to prepare." Loki raised his eyebrows; what was this new-found softness in Thor for the man he had been shunning so long?

"I will take note of that." Loki replied, keeping his voice as emotionless as possible. Thor nodded and, turning away, walked out the library and back through the corridor. Loki took a deep breathe, his only sign of emotion, and retreating once again behind the bookcase, begin to read again.

* * *

It was nearing one when Thor finally arrived. Jane had been waiting for over an hour, her nerves in shreds. She had begun to worry he wouldn't come, a million possibilities, all bad, running through her head. She frowned; that wasn't like her. Still, she just wanted everything to be perfect. And now he was here, so it was.

She pulled open the door and he enveloped her in a hug, which quickly turned into a kiss. That didn't last long, though, Jane had too much to talk about to give affection for long. She could do that tomorrow, they had more then a week together before Thor had to leave to go back to Asgard.

He ducked as he came in through the door (her place was tiny) and followed her into the kitchen. He looked tired, she noticed as he sat down heavily on a chair.

"So, how are you? How's everything is Asgard been recently?" Jane handed him a cup of coffee and he smiled, gulping it down like his life depended on it. Jane winced; surely that would have burnt his mouth? A memory comes back to her: Loki, holding a tea cup and taking tiny sips in a way that would have looked ridiculous if anybody else she knew had done it. But then, he wasn't like anybody else she knew, was he? She stifled a giggle as she imagined Thor delicately holding a cup of tea, pinky up.

"Asgard is well, I am well. However..." He trailed off, obviously not sure whether it's a good idea to finish his sentence. Jane knew she shouldn't push him, but curiosity burned up her throat and forced the words out.

"What's wrong?" Thor blinked, surprised. He cast his eyes to the floor for a second then hesitatingly began to speak.

"Loki... Loki has barely spoken to anybody since we came back from the battle with Malekith and when he does, it's rarely kind or even civil. In truth, I'm worried about him. I know... I know how dearly he loved Mother." It was Jane's turn to the one to blink in surprise. Of all the things... Loki?

She thought back to the last time she had seen him; he'd seemed his usual sarcastically snarky self; from what she knew of him, anyway, in her brief time having known him. In her brief time having known him... of course. Stupid, she mentally chided herself. Loki was playing them all. He obviously thought it would be amusing to mess with her, and Thor... the sneaky bastard. Well, she was never letting him anywhere near her ever again...

"Jane?" Jane started, blood still boiling at the thought of how Loki had messed with them all and turned her attention back to Thor. Thor smiled, wide but fake. She knew that it was time to change the conversation topic.

The day quickly wore on. She and Thor talked constantly, stories about everything from work to battles coming into the conversation. But she said nothing about Loki or Frigga, Thor did the same, except when he talked about going on adventures with Loki as a boy, which he spoke of with a wistful look in his eye. Her heart swelled in sympathy for him; he had lost his brother, just as surely as he had lost Frigga.

It was very late, or rather early, when she finally got to bed. She had barely changed out of her clothes before her head hit the pillow and she fell asleep.

* * *

 _So, here's the next chapter! I know there wasn't any Loki/Jane interaction, but it's important in the storyline (or so my muse says), so here you go. There's some Thor/Jane though, for the sheer delight of a canon pairing. (Hahahahahahahah nope)._


	4. Chapter 4

Jane woke up to light filtering through the window and sat straight up. It was gorgeous out, with blue skies and a gentle frost glittering everywhere, from the window to the tips of the grass. She wiped her hand across her face; it came away smeared in her make up. She internally groaned; she probably had her make up all over her pillow.

Stretching out, she was up and nipped into the bathroom, pulling a towel along with her. It didn't take long to remove the make up and take a shower; it probably took longer trying to decide what to wear; not the blue dress, that was too fancy, but not her jeans, she wanted to look nice, not scruffy. She hesitated over the green dress; it was perfect, but... she remembered the green of Loki's outfit the last time he had visited her and mentally shook her head. His colour...

"Well, thanks for ruining the colour green for me, Loki." She muttered as she pulled a purple dress from her closet. She didn't like it much; Darcy had brought it for her last Christmas and as was usual with Darcy, it was a little tight and showed too much cleavage for her tastes. Still, it would have to do.

She dressed quickly and tiptoed down. Thor might still be asleep and Darcy was almost certainly dead to the world. Jane knew from experience that waking up Darcy too early wasn't the thing she wanted to do on a Tuesday morning. Or any morning.

She grabbed her keys and purse and pulling on a coat, scribbled a note to Thor and set it down on the table. Now that her theories were finally being accepted by scientific communities, she had a lot more work to do, especially since she had missed a day yesterday. But she would still be seeing a lot of Thor today. She wasn't going to miss out on that. She grinned as she glanced at the note. It read:

 _Dear Thor,_  
 _I've got to go back to work, but when you've woken up and gotten ready, can you come and join me? I have a lot of work that could benefit from some gaps being filled in and I think you could help with that._  
 _Love you,_  
 _Jane._

She briefly hesitated at the 'I love you' but let it pass. Thor had saved her life when she had been... possessed by the Aether, he deserved more then an 'I love you.' She bit her lip. But would it seem to forward? Nah, I'm sure it'll be fine, she reassured herself. And anyway, they'd been (technically) dating for over two years. It was just long distance. With no contact. But it's fine, she reassured herself. He was back and that was what really mattered. Right?

Sighing and drawing away from these unwanted thoughts, she walked straight out the kitchen and towards the door. Slipping on a pair of flats, she took one more look towards the kitchen and opened the door and stepped out, closing it softly behind her. She had a long day ahead of her, it wouldn't do to ruin it by waking Darcy now.

* * *

Thor arrived at midday, when she was taking a quick break to gulp something down (and get some more coffee). He beamed at her as he walked through the door of her laboratory. He wasn't dressed in Asgardian clothes, she noticed, rushing up to greet him. Thor had, in fact, traded his normal armour like clothing for something less... noticeable and significantly more easy to cuddle with. Not that it made much of a difference, Jane smirked, casting an eye over Thor's... stupidly incredibly muscular body. It was quite a sight, Jane thought, pulling away from the hug and showing Thor over to her calculations. She didn't think she knew anybody else with a body that muscular. But that wasn't the point. She needed to stop being such a ditz and get on with her work.

A thought of Loki's long, lean body as he sat on her counter flashed through her eyes and she shut them, shaking her head. Loki was totally not her type. He wasn't even cute, just annoying. And she was being stupid again.

"Jane?" She looked over at Thor and he smiled again. She couldn't help but smile back; his smiles and laughter were contagious.

"You've been distracted lately. Is anything troubling you?" Jane shook her head. She couldn't exactly tell him that his brother had visited her twice and now she couldn't get him out of her head, could she? That would make very interesting ground for a break-up.

"In that case, shall we begin?" Thor inclined his head towards the desk and she, smiled, jogging over and gathering up her papers, showing them to Thor.

"So, NASA has this probe up in space and lately it's been getting these weird signals, ever since the battle with Malekith and there is a theory that an Einstein-Rosen Bridge has opened up somewhere in the depths of space... a wormhole, Thor! One close enough to pick up with our signals! Who knows what could be on the other side, discoveries of every kind, civilizations..." Jane talked rapidly, barely even allowing herself to breath in her excitement. Thor, however, didn't share in it; in fact he just looked graver and graver the more she talked. Faced with this surprising lack of enthusiasm, she found herself trailing off and finally finished with an awkward silence.

It stretched on for log minute, while Jane watched Thor in anxious appeal. But he seemed barely to notice her, consumed in his own thoughts, the look of silent worry still etched into his features. Jane's confusion began to turn to anger; she hadn't expected him to hump up and down for joy and be as excited as she was about it, but she had expected a little more then this... silence!

As she watched him, a memory began forming in her head: Loki, sitting next to her, watching the star filled sky... in silence. But not a silence like this, an awkward, irritating silence where she had thought there would be explanations for her questions, where she could talk about her theories to her heart's content. Loki would know what to say here, she inexplicably mused to herself; he always did. Damn it, why couldn't she get him out her head?! He was a slimy creep, all he ever did was lie and cause misery, why wouldn't he just leave her alone!? He was not exactly attractive or sweet! Sure, he was clever, but she wasn't attracted to psychopaths. She was attracted to nice, normal(ish) people. Like Thor. She looked up at him, a sudden wave of sympathy for his predicament washing over her. He had to live with Loki as a brother! At that moment in time, she couldn't think of anything worse.

"Is.. is there anything wrong?" Thor looked up at her, a frown crossing his features and stared at her a long moment.

"Jane..." He pronounced carefully, "I don't want you to have anything to do with this wormhole any longer. Please, Jane, it... it may be dangerous. I don't wish for you to get harmed. Jane?"

Jane stared at him in complete surprise. Why... this was her job to investigate stuff! And who was he to tell her what she could and couldn't do! She wasn't some kind of doll to keep safe, she was her own person and she was allowed to choose what she wanted to do!

"What?!" Thor reached out to her, concerned, but she pushed him away.

"This my job! My... my life's work! This.. You broke into SHIELD to get it back once! Why... what..." To Jane's utter chagrin, a hot angry tear spilled down her face. She was fed up with people telling her what she could or couldn't do!

"Jane... I'm sorry... please." Thor looked so chastened that Jane couldn't stay angry at him. Not for long. He was just trying to keep her safe, that was all. The problem with that, though, as Jane knew deep down, where she refused to admit it, that was why she was so angry. She loved Thor, he was sweet and kind and noble. But with every passing day, he became more and more unreachable. He wasn't the cocky guy she first met, nor the charming man she fell in love with; he was increasingly not Thor, but Prince Thor, of Asgard. Utterly unreachable for a little scientist like her. But Jane refused to admit it, he was still the same guy he'd always been, she was just imaging things.

"Jane..." Thor never managed to finished his sentence, for that matter, because at that moment somebody rapped on the door. Jane hastily wiped away her tears and opened it. A man in Asgardian armour stood there, a guard of some kind. He looked at her a brief second, bowed his head to her and then walked past her to where Thor was, where he knelt quickly and then stood again.

"My Liege, Asgard requires your assistance. There has been fighting in the north and The Allfather requests that you cut short your visit and come back." The guard spoke quietly, but clearly.

Thor looked helplessly over at Jane, but she didn't catch it, too busy trying to process the information she had just heard. But... he'd only been there a day, less, even! That wasn't fair...

"Jane?" Jane slowly inclined her head to look at him, she finally caught the helpless look on his face and her anger faded a little.

"Jane, I'm sorry... The Allfather has requested my presence. I cannot stay. I... I promise I will come back as soon as I can, once the conflict is finished. I am truly sorry, Jane."

Jan nodded her head, barely able to speak for the lump sticking in her throat. Catching sight of Thor's expression again, though, she forced a few words out through gritted teeth.

"Sure... I mean... It's okay. Go. Just-just go." Thor nodded slowly and walked from the room, an apologetic look on her face. For a second, Jane wildly wished for Thor to turn around and run back to her, declaring that she meant more to him then Asgard ever had and that he would stay with her forever. But alas for her, that didn't happen. In stead, Thor left the room, walking quickly down the hallway until she could no longer hear his footsteps.

She breathed out, a rush of air she hadn't known she'd been holding and laughed bitterly to herself. Of course. It was stupid to even imagine Thor would stay with her. However much he loved her, he was a prince of Asgard first and foremost.

And she realized, for the very first time, that Thor would never be truly hers. She would always have to share him with Asgard. I guess that's the price for loving a prince, Jane thought, wiping the tears that had started running down her face again. Her hand came back covered in mascara; she was always messing up her make-up these days, Jane mused sardonically. Maybe she should invest in some waterproof stuff.

She went back to her desk and stared at her research uncomprehendingly for a couple of seconds, before she decided that, damn it all, she was going for a walk. Besides, there wasn't much point in working with her research, since her only source of information had walked out on her.

She turned away and practically ran out the room, speeding through hallways and finally out the building, into fresh air. She took a second to gulp some of it down, before she took off again, running to... somewhere. Anywhere. Preferably private.

Somehow she ended up in a little park she had known from her childhood, a couple of miles from her workplace. Nobody ever went there now, it was the most private place she could get at the that moment.

She spied a little bench, paint peeling, and collapsed onto it, exhausted. She had ran (or speed-walked) the best of two miles and that, along with her recent fight with Thor, had exhausted her.

"Miss Foster." a familiar voice broke the silence. She stood up suddenly and whirled around; Loki looked almost startled at the make-up smeared all down her face, which she hadn't bothered to take off. It barely took a second to compose himself, however, and he looked at her with a his usual ever so slightly amused face, eyebrows raised in question.

"I take it my brother's visit didn't go down too well." He said, sarcasm coloring his voice. Jane glared at him just long enough to gather her thoughts and struck.

"You... You snake!" She screamed at him. He merely raised his eyebrows even higher and smirked down at her.

"My, my brother must have told you something truly terrible about me if this is the way you react at me. I wouldn't believe everything he says; he has been known to exaggerate." He informed her, a smug smile still pulling at his features.

This is his element, Jane realized. He knew best what to do when he was being insulted. And deep in her heart, she almost felt sorry for him. What terrible treatment had he received for this to become the norm? Still, if he wasn't such a asshole, he probably wouldn't have been insulted in the first place.

"How dare you?!" She screamed at him. He opened his mouth, probably to bite out some other snarky comment, but Jane didn't let him.

"How dare you come here and insult Thor, when you're the one who's been lying the whole damn time! He actually cares about you, but you repay him by messing about with his head, and mine too! You... you can just go to hell!"

"...What?" Loki looked perplexed, but Jane was on fire, she wasn't going to stop now.

"And I bet you didn't even care about Frigga! You were just using her as an excuse to hurt him even more!"

As soon as she said it, she knew it had been a bad idea. Loki's head snapped up, he glared at her with such force that if looks could kill, she would have died in a horrible way by now. His eyes, usually big and blue and somehow soft, sharpened until she felt like she was being eyed down by a predator and about to be eaten. She shrank away from him; but he wasn't going to give any mercy. He loomed over her, seemingly taller then he had ever been before and smiled, a furious grin that rooted her to the spot in fear.

"Stupid little mortals, always assuming things that aren't true, just to make themselves feel the slightest part more clever. You really think that I am the one who been lying to you? Thor doesn't love you, you're just a toy to him, a pretty little mortal girl who caught his fancy. It won't make a single difference to him if he has a relationship with you, anything long term for you is barely anything in our lifespan. You could spend your whole life with him and it would barely be anything to him. Do you truly believe that, once you're dead, he won't immediately replace you?"

"No.. please..."

"If you do, than you're more stupid than I thought you were. But what else could somebody expect from a little mortal like you?" He finished, quieter. Jane flinched back; a tiny movement, but being Loki, he caught it. Suddenly, the anger swept out of him, his shoulders moved forwards a little and his eyes grew softer. But there was a shard of ice in them that hadn't been there before.

"Goodbye, Miss Foster." He spoke, icily and before she could reply (not that she would want to) he disappeared.

Jane sat down slowly on the bench and let the burning tears run down her face and the choking sobs envelope her. She knew she shouldn't have been so upset about it, that it wasn't true. But Jane feared, in the center of her heart, that it really was.

It dawned on her this was the man who had killed dozens and dozens of people; and she wrapped her arms around her legs and came undone with sobs. She knew, finally, that while Thor might exceed Loki in brawn and power, Loki was far more dangerous in ways she didn't even know. And hoped she would never find out.

* * *

 _Also known as Jane having the absolute worst day in history. I'm really sorry, Jane, I promise the next chapter will be happier. For me and for you. And the readers, obviously._  
 _Please review! Your reviews give my muse energy to write the next chapter faster. Also, have a cookie after that traumatic event that just happened. (::)_  
 _Now excuse me while I go and worry about how to reconcile them again, if it can be done. (It probably can be, wouldn't be much of a Lokane story otherwise. A couple of visits and a fight do not equal a relationship)._


	5. Chapter 5

Jane was sick of this. All of it; the endless work, with nothing to gain from it; the boyfriend who had left her after the battle with Malekith to go rule Asgard; his irritating brother who she was pretty sure was going to murder her in her bed sometime, from the look on his face when she saw him last. Why couldn't she just have an easier life? Most of her life she was deemed crazy by the scientific community, now she was only known as Thor's girlfriend. At least in the old days, when people looked at her they saw her, her as her own individual person (albeit thinking she was crazy) instead of just Thor's girlfriend.

The cause of her anger stemmed from a very simple reason. And the fact she was on her period and always got moody around that time. So you couldn't blame her entirely.

She was in a shop yesterday, buying some groceries (And other, much needed items), when a small boy, maybe three or four, ran up to her and tugged at her sleeve. She looked down; he was cute, with apple round cheeks and big blue eyes. She had smiled and crouched down (even Jane couldn't resist the allure of a cute toddler) and had asked him what the matter was or some such thing. She couldn't quite remember after in the haze of anger.

Then he said it.

"Are you Thor's girlfriend?"

Said so softly, in a baby lisp. A small, innocuous thing. And yet it made Jane suddenly angry.

The boy's mother had run round the corner at that convenient time and upon seeing Jane, her eyes widened and she ran to reclaim her unruly little son, apologizing profusely. Jane smiled (why did she always have to smile at people) and said it was okay, everything was okay.

But it wasn't.

Add to the fact when she came home she discovered the milk, she had brought, which she urgently needed, was off and that she now had to go back to the supermarket all over again.

All in all, Jane was pissed off.

Which is probably why she was stomping around her lab, thumping papers down quite violently, her thoughts dwelling on things which had happened weeks ago and that she had thought she had calmed down over.

But it appeared she hadn't. Well, not today.

She pulled up a piece of paper and stared at it for a long moment, numbers and figures blurring together. She rubbed her eyes, feeling suddenly tired. She couldn't do this right now. She sat down at her desk and laid her head on the table. Just a couple of minutes' rest...

* * *

Thor knocked cautiously on the door of Jane's lab. Having come all the way from Asgard to find her, he had been directed to the lab by Darcy, who had also served to warn him that Jane had been in a foul mood since yesterday. Thor, having taken on her advise, had immediately set off for the lab and was now there.

He knocked gently on the door, his whole body tense. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms last time, and he was worried Jane was still angry. If she was... he had enough trouble without that.

There was no answer. He knock again, louder, but still nothing happened. Finally, Thor tried the handle and it opened easily. He edged open the door a little and peeked in.

Jane sat at her desk, her head leaning against it, completely asleep. Thor took in the slight frown and the bags under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't had a good night's sleep since... since who knows when?

He softly padded in and touched Jane. There was no response. He considered his options for a moment. What should he do... wake her up or leave her there? She looked very tired... he spotted a couch on the other side of the room, a small, worn thing, but snug enough. He could at least make her more comfortable.

Taking the single cushion from the couch and laying it at the end, he scooped up Jane, careful not to jiggle her about too much and laid her down on the couch. She murmured and turned onto her side, pulling into a ball.

Thor stood there a second, looking at her and pondering what to do next. He had better write a note... to explain why she had suddenly moved. He walked about the lab until he found a blank sheet of paper and a pen, then scribbled a message down, setting it on the floor next to Jane. Tiptoeing out, he took one more glance at the room, he took one more glance at her and wondered how she would react when she came home.

* * *

Jane woke up to darkness. She blinked open her eyes and yawned, the sound of it filling up her ears in the silence. How long had she been asleep... it definately wasn't dark when she went to sleep. She jerked upright, only to wince as her neck gave a twinge. It was stupid of her to sleep on the couch... wait...

She looked down at the couch and then looked back up at her desk. She couldn't remember moving here; all she could remember was falling asleep on her desk until she had finally woken up here...

She stood up suddenly and took a step.. onto a piece of paper, by the feel of it. She reached down and grasped it; it had writing on it but by the dim light from behind the curtain, she couldn't make it out. Reaching over to the wall, she flicked on a light and stared down at the piece of paper.

 _To Jane_ , it read, in that bold lettering that was so familiar to her. Thor's handwriting... how...? She flipped open the paper and began to read.

 _Dear Jane_ , it read (oddly formal, but Thor was at times like that).

 _I came to see you at the laboratory but you were asleep. I was loath to awaken you. I hope to see you later, I have gone back to your house until you come back._

 _Yours,_

 _Thor._

Jane felt that familiar twisting in her gut she had had so much at the mention of Thor since he had last come to visit. He's here... she could make amends for the way she had acted when he had gone back to Asgard last time. It wasn't his fault he needed to stay a king must be hard work, not to mention he had to watch Loki to make sure he didn't do any mischief. She was sure that if Loki hadn't been so... if he hadn't been such a troublemaker, Thor might have been able to visit her more after the battle with Malekith, or even... she barely hoped, but it was enough... stayed with her altogether. Damn Loki and his unfortunate tendency to get in the way of everything.

She sighed; her feelings about Loki were so very mixed. For one, she knew that her was a murderer, he had killed so many people in New York; she had seen the way he had stabbed Dark Elves left, right and center, as if he took and almost gleeful joy to their deaths. Not to mention how wholeheartedly he had put himself into Thor's pretend betrayal... like he meant every word he said. Loki was a liar and a killer.

But at the same time, she couldn't get his image out of her head. Him, sitting on her counter, drinking tea, his legs swinging slightly... his eyes, such a bright blue, as he stared up on the stars... and then his face, twisted with anger and a hint of pain, of betrayal at her accusations he had not care about his mother's death at all. Her heart twisted in guilt; she had never expected that that would be the one thing to get under Loki's skin. _And yet you did_... whispered that little accusatory voice inside of her. _You wanted to hurt him and you did, as surely as plunging one of his own knives into him would._

Jane shook off the voice, shivering. She couldn't dwell on this... but she couldn't forget the look on his face when she had shouted that at him in the midst of her anger.

 _I should say sorry;_ the idea popped into her head. That's ridiculous, she couldn't just go up to him and say sorry. It didn't work like that. And yet... she groaned a rested her hands in her face. I suppose it won't do any harm, she decided, and her mind made up, she removed her hands from her face and set about gathering up her stuff, tidying things for tomorrow. Or today, she corrected, seeing the clock glint 1 in the morning in big red numbers.

The only problem with saying sorry to him, she mused, is actually getting the message to him. She couldn't ask Thor; he didn't know about Loki visiting her those three times and she didn't intend for him to find out. That left... no options, unless Loki came back down from Asgard again to talk to her, which was about as unlikely as a pig with 15 wings. Which is impossible, how would it be able to fly, it should have 14 wings or something... Jane slapped her hand to her forehead as she realized that she was seriously thinking about how many wings a pig should have to fly. She really needed some sleep.

Jane finished up tidying and walked out the door, shutting and locking the door almost absentmindedly behind her. She had a long way to go and she was pretty sure if she drove, she would have an accident, given how tired she was.

I'm not walking all the way home, it's about a mile, she fiercely told herself, and quietly walked down the stairs, hoping she wouldn't disturb any late night cleaners or something. Not that they seemed to come very much, given how filthy the place was outside her office. She should probably hire more reliable ones.

She reached in the bag for her car keys and unlocked the door, climbing in and collapsing onto the drivers seat. Slamming the door shut (wincing as she did so) she pulled on her seat belt, laid her bag on the car seat beside her and set off for home.

* * *

She didn't have an accident as such, Jane told herself as she pulled into her parking space. She just grazed the car slightly on a street light, and given how many dents this car had anyway, she doubted it would make much of a difference.

She dragged herself out the car with her bag, locking it clumsily and headed towards the house. She let herself in silently, she didn't want to wake up Darcy. Having locked the door, (almost forgetting to do so), and leaving her bag slumped somewhere in the hall, she tiptoed upstairs, starting as a floorboard creaked, and went to her room, getting dressed and brushing her teeth in a blur. It wasn't long before she was in bed, the covers pulled tightly around her and minutes after that, she was asleep, breathe evened out and for once in a long time, her face relaxed. Her dreams didn't trouble her that night.

* * *

Jane woke up to the sound of Darcy shaking her shoulder and asking her why there was a giant dent in the car.

Shit.

Go... away.. tell... tell you later." She mumbled, turning over and burying her face in the pillow and Darcy, seeing she wasn't going to get anything out out Jane that early in the morning, left her be. For the time being.

* * *

 _Sorry I took so long to update! The plot bunnies just weren't jumping._  
 _Since I didn't really make this clear in the story, basically Loki doesn't 'die' in The Dark World and Thor, instead of staying with Jane, goes back with him to Asgard to be king and stuff._

 _Also, I would like to thank my fellow Lokane author and friend, wintercandymints. She has helped me so much with her supportive reviews and her awesome Lokane stories, which have given me so much inspiration. Without her, I don't think I would have even started this story, let alone, gotten this far. So, this is me thanking her and the chapter after next, which is a very special chapter, is dedicated to her._  
 _Not to mention her stories are the best, seriously. If you like my story, read hers. They are so much better than anything I can write, especially with Lokane._

 _Love to all my wonderful readers and thanks for waiting so long!_  
 _Amaryllis._


	6. Chapter 6

When Jane finally appeared in a dressing gown and bedhead at eleven in the morning, Darcy was waiting for her.

Jane had barely trudged through the door of the kitchen, rubbing her hand across her eyes in an unsuccessful attempt to get rid of the sleep sand in the corners of her eyes, when Darcy spun around and glaring at Jane, went nuclear.

"The hell, Jane! I wake up this morning and the car has a freaking dent in it! How the hell did that even happen?!" She screamed across the room, and Jane, already absolutely exhausted, felt like crying. God damn, couldn't she get one moment of piece between Thor and Loki and everything else that happened in her shitty life?

Darcy didn't seem to notice Jane's distress, continuing to glare at her as she slammed the coffee cup down on the table, waiting for an answer. Jane's head began to throb; what was she supposed to say?

"I... I guess I was just super tired when I got home last night and I-" Darcy didn't let her finish. "And you thought it was a good idea to drive home so tired you made a dent in the car?! Wow, Jane, that's just the greatest decision you ever made!" Grabbing her half finished coffee cup from the table, Darcy stormed out, leaving a incredibly befuddled and equally tired Jane.

"huh... I'd better go get dressed... god." Muttered Jane to herself as she massaged her aching temples. Wow, she didn't think she had had a headache this bad for ages; a year, at least. Did she have any aspirin? She squinted as she tried to remember whether she had any, eventually giving up as her head gave a particularly bad twinge. She probably had some in a random cupboard, anyway.

Five minutes later, she had found some aspirin in a cupboard, swallowed a couple and was upstairs, trying to pick something to wear. Thor didn't seem to be in the house at that moment, but he could be here any second and she didn't want to be in front of him in her pajamas. Which was stupid, she supposed; they had been dating over two years, if you counted long distance with no communication, and she should be perfectly happy wearing anything with him. Pr nothing at all, a tiny vice whispered in the back of her mind. Jane went bright red and squirmed in discomfort; even the idea of that made the feeling distinctly disgusted. But why? I mean, she was attracted to him, right? Maybe they just weren't... close enough yet, or something. That was probably it.

Jane dismissed the idea from her mind before she could explode from how embarrassed she was getting and pulled out a pair of nice enough jeans and a warm shirt. It was still freezing outside, March or not. Well, at least it wasn't Britain; that place seemed permanently cold and damp.

Seeing how much work she needed to get done since her impromptu nap yesterday, she decided to head for her work. At least there was no rampaging Darcy there.

* * *

Loki idly sat, leaning back in the chair, turning the leaves of his book in a bored fashion. Really, it wasn't fair how he had been exiled to his chambers while Thor wasn't here. Surely the thousands or so guards that this palace had could restrain him if he tried to escape? Not that he would, at least not in such a public fashion. Loki knew the value of patience; with many of his tricks relying on it when he was younger. For most spells and tricks, time was essential and Loki had learnt from a young age that to succeed, he needed patience. Still, it didn't mean he had to like waiting; as good as he was at it, it was always the thing her hated most. He had always been a boy who got bored easily, hating thins that dragged on, always wanting to see the next thing. Only a very few things held his attention and his patience for long.

Like Jane, it would have seemed. Before he realized how actually boring and stupid she was. Honestly, how could he have made the mistake of thinking one mortal was any more different, any more interesting from another, especially since he had seen so many examples before his own eyes. She and his brother were suited to each other, both ignorant fools.

Loki turned another page of the book he wasn't even reading and sighed. When was he going to be allowed out of this infernal imprisonment, to his chambers, of all things? How humiliating. Odin certainly knew how to irritate Loki most and seemed to take delight in it. If only... but no. He wouldn't think of that, wouldn't believe that Frigga would have helped him in any way. Not after the way he treated her, before her death.

Loki divided people into two groups; people he despised and people who were remotely tolerable. The latter seemed to be growing smaller every day and well, the group of people he had loved had died, along with Frigga. He would never admit it to anybody, but he missed her desperately.

And every time his mind wasn't busy, it went back to her, replaying the moment he betrayed her, imagining her death, over and over again, until he wanted to scream and weep and fall.

But he would never do that, never show weakness, never let anybody know that he had loved her.

After all, how could he deserve to mourn her, when he was the one who killed her?

* * *

It was noon when Thor finally came to the lab, holding a paper bag with what Jane assumed to be lunch and a sheepish look on his face.

"I am sorry I did not come to you earlier, I had some urgent business to attend to at Stark Towers. However, now that I am here, would you do me the honor of letting me take you out to dinner later?" Jane smiled and nodded, bubbles of joy swirling around her heart and threatening to burst out in an explosion of happiness. She had forgotten how much she missed Thor, with all his sweetness.

"Sure, I'd love to. So, what the place, and what time?"

"8 o clock. The place... that will be a surprise. So, will that be alright, my lady Jane?"

Jane giggled and nodded furiously, suddenly all love struck schoolgirl. But Thor didn't seem to mind, smiling at her and dropping the back of food down on to the table, before walking out the door, shutting it carefully behind him.

Jane felt herself grinning hugely as she went back to her work. Finally, maybe life was looking up after all!

* * *

Jane stood at the doorway, waiting for Thor. It was 7:59 exactly; and her nerves were in shatters. If she thought about it, she had never technically gone on a date with Thor in the traditional sense, though they'd been dating two years. It made her feel peculiarly happy to be going on a normal date with Thor, for the first time in... well, forever.

If she really thought about it (And she was, Jane had a habit of thinking too fast and too much when she was nervous) she had gone on more dates with Loki than with Thor, if she included the rooftop rendezvous. And the kitchen... whatever that was.

She had agonized over what to wear for full hour before she had given up and asked Darcy. Hence now the fact she was kitted in a dress she would never normally wear, but apparently looked good on her. According to Darcy.

She was wearing a red, sleeveless dress that rippled like silk around her. It was beautiful... but she didn't quite like it. She felt so... so conspicuous, with the bright red and the interesting amount of skin showing sure to keep eyes on her. She would have much preferred to wear a dress that was a little more casual, but nobody argued with Darcy when she was that determined. Nobody.

Maybe if the dress was a royal blue, or a pine green, she mused to herself, running her hand over the silken folds...

And that was when the bell decided to ring. Jane, startled, jerked her head up and, straightening her dress, pulled open the door to see Thor. He was dressed much more formally than he usually did, in a black suit and crimson jacket and maroon tie. To match her, it seemed. Jane felt a little better about wearing the dress she was wearing now that she saw what Thor had turned up in. It looked quite good on him, she must admit. She only hoped that the place wouldn't be a take away place or something like that. I mean, how many people went to get fast food in silk dresses? And now she was rambling in her mind again. Jane suppressed a sigh. This was going to be harder than she had thought.

Thor grinned at her and held out his hand for her to take. She delicately took it as she picked her way over the cobbles of her front path with her three inch high heels. God, these were ridiculous.

"You look very beautiful this evening, Jane." That was all he said and Jane was left to burst silently with questions as the taxi they were in brought them closer and closer to the place where they would be going for their date night.

When they finally arrived, she nearly fell out of the car with shock.

* * *

Sif sighed as she slowly pulled a brush through her dark, sleek hair, watching the reflection of her eyes in the mirror. To everybody else, Sif looked as usual; as feisty and strong as she had always been. But today, Sif's heart was heavier than she had felt for a long time, since the day she awoke to find nothing more than short spikes where her golden curls had once fallen from. She had never forgiven Loki for that; even now, many centuries later, she still felt the flickering of anger within her heart. It wasn't really her hair she had been upset with, in the end (she had know eventually the gold of her hair would fade and her hair would grow dark, like the mother and father's hair) but more about what it symbolized; with the loss of her hair came the loss of any chance of Thor's love, something she had craved since she had been little more than twelve Aesir years.

She had thought, after Thor came back to Asgard after the battle, that maybe he would eventually forget Jane. Long distance relationships often failed, Sif knew that. And Sif was determined to wait as long as she would have to to gain his affections, even if it went waiting a century or so, in order for the human to die and Thor to be able to move on with his grief. But Thor seemed so determined to be with Jane as much as possible; even after he had come back the last time, looking tired and slumped and exceedingly unhappy from what Sif found out later had been more or less a fight, he had been determined to make it up to Jane. And now, he was back with that wretched mortal, doing who know's what, while Sif brushed her stupid hair and sighed unhappily over him.

This is nothing like you, Sif! She admonished herself and slamming the hairbrush against her dresser, she stalked out. Maybe she would go to the training grounds. And stop thinking so badly of Jane; she was a nice enough young woman at heart; a little naive but then all humans were, they did not have enough time on earth to truly learn the ways of the universe.

She didn't know why she was so unhappy, most of the time. If another man had shown such blatant disinterest in her, she would have never have bothered getting upset over him. But Thor was special. She had loved him from when she first met him, as a little girl, back when she still had those beautiful strands of golden corn atop her head. But Thor had always treated her as little more than a sister, when what she really wanted was to be so much more than that.

Maybe it was time to stop thinking about it and throw herself into doing what she had always done when she couldn't bear to think anymore; riding. Sif excelled in many of the things a true warrior should, but she loved to ride, feel the wind rushing through her hair and whistling past her ears.

The stables were empty, apart from the horses. Grabbing her saddle, she nimbly picked her way over the hay to wear Ámr, her beautiful ebony stallion, stood. He snorted and tucked his head next to her neck.

"Hello, my boy." She trailed her fingers across his nuzzle. "Perhaps it is time I forget my affections for Thor and make you the only boy in my life." She murmured into his mane.

Ámr whinnied as if in agreement.

* * *

"Stark Towers." it was a question, not a statement, that Jane was truly asking. Had Thor actually, in her oblivion, taken her to Stark Towers? Was it just an illusion or was she really at the doorstep of the home of the renowned Tony Stark, billionaire, philanthropist...genius. Jane could have danced with excitement; this was everything she had ever dreamed of.

"Stark is having a celebration for Mrs Pott's birthday and he asked me to join him, saying I could bring another guest; assumingly you." Thor explained, gesturing towards the doors of the building.

"Well, unless he really wanted to see Loki again." Jane finally gave in and practically skipped through the doors, dragging Thor behind her, giggling for sheer joy. Thor gave in good naturedly, after all, if he hadn't wanted to go in, she would have never moved him even an inch towards the door.

Stark Towers was everything Jane had imagined it was and more. It was like stepping into the future; everything was brightly lit up and gleaming silver. Jane felt happier here, mingling with the crowds, idly chatting to a few people here and there, than she had in a long, long time. There were quite a few people who knew of her work and gave great praise towards it and one bright eyed woman with dark hair streaked with grey had addressed Thor as 'Ms Foster's boyfriend', which Jane found hilarious; how ironic that it was here, at a party that Thor's friend had thrown, that she would feel most at home? But maybe it wasn't quite so ironic after all, Tony Stark was said to be a genius and would probably surround himself with people who were at the least clever, if not of similar intellect.

It was only after she had spent a couple of hours at the party, enjoying herself while trying not to get too drunk, that she met the esteemed Mr Stark himself.

It was quite an accident and probably due to the fact she was both overexcited and slightly tipsy, a good enough combination to ensure that she wasn't looking where she was going, which caused her to bump straight into him.

"Woah, careful." He murmured as arms pulled her away from a meeting with the floor. She looked up to see Tony taring at her with a mixture of half recognition and amusement.

"Hey, you're Jane, right? Astrophysicist who's famous for her work on Einstein Rosen Bridges? And of course being the very pretty girlfriend of Thor here." He winked at Thor, who had come to join them, which earned him a grin an nod of conformation that indeed, Jane was very pretty. And _his_ girlfriend.

Jane felt herself simultaneously embarrassed and annoyed by this encounter. Sure, he had complimented her, but then he had also labeled her as Thor's girlfriend, which sucked after all the time she had spent among people at this party who had done exactly the opposite.

"I prefer to be known for my work as an astrophysicist, unless giving the human race a chance to explore other parts of the universe more easily due to my work in this particular field is not worthy of your notice, Mr Stark?"

Tony whistled and grinned suddenly. "Okay, Ms Foster, if that's what you want. Wow, Thor, you really got a feisty one here, didn't you. Just the way I like them." He smirked and cocked his head to the side, as if analyzing Jane more closely.

"I apologize for Tony's behavior, he's a little inebriated. And a jerk." Came a smooth, female voice, as Pepper sidled into the picture and whacked Tony on the arm lightly.

"Hey, the birthday girl! Come here, you." exclaimed Tony as he lightly kissed her. Pepper smiled and pulled away slightly, clearly giving him a not right now expression.

"So, you're Jane Foster, right? Nice to meet you." Jane quickly found herself shaking hands with Pepper. She seemed a really nice person, totally not the kind of woman who she'd thought she would be, being Tony Stark's girlfriend, but then again, he probably needed a strong female figure to keep him in line. Jane found herself grinning at this as she started to engage with small talk with Pepper.

After a few minutes, Tony reappeared from the crowd he had vanished into and slid an arm around Pepper.

"So, you were right. Your work is pretty extraordinary and maybe I didn't give you enough credit for that. Okay, Pepper, you can stop looking at me like I've grown three heads; I do know how to apologize. Sometimes. Anyway, are we good?" Tony said earnestly, while Pepper stood next to him rolling her eyes fondly. Jane shook her head, half laughing; maybe he wasn't such a terrible guy after all.

The night wore on; Tony and her engaged in a long discussion on her work and all the things that came with it and Thor, after looking confused for the best part of ten minutes, walked off to hang out with the other Avengers, presumably. After all, he hadn't seen them in ages.

Eventually the part began to thin out, people began to leave and Tony, now even more drunk, was ushered away by Pepper, leaving her to get rid of the last guests so she could go to bed. The alcohol had worn off a little by this time and Jane felt tired to her bones. She would probably have an enormous headache tomorrow, she always had unnecessarily big handover after drinking.

She shuffled out the door, half held up by Thor an bundled into a taxi, where she lay for the most part of the journey against his shoulder. By eh time they got home, however, she had roused herself enough to get out and unlock the door, sending off the taxi driver with his money and a tip, for good measure.

"How'd you get so good at earth stuff? When I first met you, you hadn't the slightest clue what a toaster was and tried to attack it when the toast popped out." She teased as Thor reddened, smiling embarrassed.

"Jane, wait." He called out suddenly, as she was about to step through the door. Jane looked around at him and waited, giving him her full attention.

"Jane, last time I came, I left quite abruptly and i want to make it up to you. I know you've always wanted to see Asgard in more detail, would you like to join me there for a little while when I go back? Loki will be at the palace, free to move where he wishes there, but I will make sure he doesn't annoy you if you wish." Jane blushed, acutely aware of how utterly Thor had no idea of Loki visiting her. But her mind soon returned to the task in hand, Asgard! The last time she had been there, she had been blown away; the technology, the people, the buildings... and another chance to go there, to study Asgard better... well, why would anybody in their right mind refuse?!

"I would love to go! Thank you so much, Thor." She pressed a kiss against his cheek, overcome with joy, and danced into the the house. After paying a quick good night to Thor, she tiptoed up to her room and, getting changed quickly sank into bed. it had been an exhaustingly happy day, better than any day she had had for a very long time, and within seconds, Jane was out, dreaming sweetly of Asgard and the surprises it might hold.

* * *

 _And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sooooo sorry for how long it took to update, plot bunnies have been scarce lately. Still, it's here and next chapter's Asgard, so fasten your seatbelts, you lot! Sorry if everybody's out of character, It's my first time writing them and I'm kinda rubbish at character analysis. But luckily for you, more Loki and Jane interaction next chapter, you lucky things!_

 _Love, OfTheOcean._


	7. Chapter 7

Jane fiddled with the handle of her suitcase, smiling widely as she stood in front of the door. it was the day Thor was going back to Asgard and usually she would be upset, but today, she was going with him. Asgard, its beautiful, golden palace and wonderful technology; like nothing she had ever seen before. She couldn't wait to get there again and see it all, but without distraction this time.

But there was a tightness in her chest, a kind of fluttering nervousness that rose and fell with each breath. Loki was in Asgard; after the last time they had met, how would he behave towards her? As much as she was sorry for what she said, would he believe that?

She didn't know. She never did. And it terrified her.

"Jane!" She heard the sound of Thor moving down the stairs, back in his Asgardian armour.

"Come, let us go. I'm sure Sif and the others will be glad to see you again." Jane didn't think so; she could see that Sif felt something for Thor, that wasn't exactly merely comradeship. Which meant she probably hated Jane. Another Asgardian who hated her, it seemed. She sighed; why is it she seemed to attract the annoyance of every one of Thor's friends and family, apart from him? It was probably the 'mortal' thing.

She bundled Thor into her car and dropped in herself. It didn't take long to get to the place they would travel from; an abandoned grounds set a way out from New York.

Thor stepped out of the car and gently helped Jane out. She smiled at him and jogged away from the car, Thor letting her pull him with her.

After about five seconds of said movement, where they were far enough away from the car that it wouldn't come to Asgard with them, Thor called up to Heimdall to open the Bifrost and clasped her to his chest.

And suddenly a great hurricane of colour and light filled Jane's senses. She felt her body stretched and squeezing and moving, faster then light. The last time she had done this, she had been too surprised to properly enjoy it, but this time she would savour it, every bit of it.

All too soon, she was thrown out the the hurricane and into the large golden dome from which the Bifrost made its home. Heimdall nodded at her and pulled out the sword, his molten gold eyes twinkling with laughter at her shocked expression.

She was in Asgard.

Finally.

* * *

Sif galloped out, down the Rainbow Bridge. Thor was scheduled to be home today, or at least, so he had told her, and she couldn't wait to see him. Not that she would show that, of course. She'd probably just give some friendly comment and tell him if he wanted to ride home, he could bring his own horse.

Ah, there he was, just there, in her sights. Wait, who was the person next to him? A person dressed in... Midgard trousers, they were called jeans, she thought, and a buttoned shirt... she realized with a sense of dread that she knew exactly who that person was.

Jane Foster.

How... Why?

Of course, she realized. Why wouldn't Thor bring along Jane, his pretty little girlfriend? Jane, this gorgeous, feminine, frail little creature; everything Thor liked about women and everything that she wasn't.

It made her want to throw up to see them together, standing their looking at each other with gooey eyes.

Or rather, Thor was looking at Jane with gooey eyes, and Jane was staring up at the endless Asgardian sky, absolutely enthralled. She had come at the perfect time; a sunset that turned the sky to burning reds, soft delicate pinks, tiger oranges... sunsets and sunrises in Asgard didn't follow any particular order and came and went as they pleased. At times, they would stay for days or possibly even weeks at a time, sometimes, it would be only minutes before they would disappear.

Sif normally loved sunsets; they were bright, vibrant and bold, demanding to be seen and admired.

But how could she enjoy this sunset when it brought only unhappiness with it?

But this jealousy is not becoming for an Asgardian; she told herself firmly. She wouldn't let her feelings get the best of her. She would be civil towards Jane, after all, it wasn't her fault Thor did not love Sif.

It was nobody's fault but Sif's own, it would seem. She had never had the courage to tell Thor her true feelings and now she was paying for it. And would do so, for the rest of her life. Because it seemed impossible that Thor would ever love her... or that she would ever tell him.

She had her chance and now it was gone. And she was left picking up the shattered remains of her heart.

* * *

The sky was like nothing Jane had ever seen. Sunrises and sunsets were never really her thing; she much preferred the stars and their subtle beauty, but this, this, matched the stars in every way. It always seemed, to Jane, that the sky held the most beauty of anything on earth, or beyond; and in so may different forms! The sky was an ever changing mass of beauty and at that moment, Jane couldn't be happier.

She was quickly jolted out of her revelry by the sounds of hooves pounding against the Bifrost, a ringing, clear sound that penetrated Jane's ears violently and pulled her away abruptly from her thoughts.

She looked up to see the said horse and on its back, Sif. She looked stunning in the light, the burning colours of the sky throwing themselves over her, highlighting the jade in her eyes and turning her normally midnight hair to a rich chocolate brown. And Jane wasn't the only one who had noticed; she could see Thor watching Sif with a look akin to awe in his eyes. Jane should have felt jealous, but strangely, she didn't.

"Sif!" Called out Thor in a manner that could only be described as heartily. Sif replied to this with a significantly less enthusiastic smile, before finally pulling to a stop and gracefully sliding of the horse.

"Well, Thor, it's been quite a while longer than usual; we'd been worrying something terrible had happened to you. But I suppose you just decided to extend your holiday..." Sif teased Thor, who laughed good naturedly and threw an arm around her shoulders. Sif tolerated this for a few seconds, before slipping out of his grip and turning to talk to Jane.

"Well, I've only brought one horse, but you are quite small; we can ride back with me without too much trouble." Sif's eyes slipped to Thor and she said "As for you, if you want a horse, you can call for one yourself."

"Fair enough." Thor grinned back at her.

Sif then extended an arm to Jane and without further ado, they were both on the horse and speeding away down the Bifrost.

* * *

The palace was as large and beautiful as the last time Jane had been here. Larger, in fact, than she had known; last time she had been confined to her rooms, fretting over the Aether. Now she was allowed to explore the palace in it's entirety and there were so many rooms and places she hadn't even known existed. There was an aviary, filled with the loveliest birds, of every shape and size, and in all the colours of the rainbow. There were large bedrooms, with beds larger than her room at home; there were enormous banquet halls, decorated in gold and full of light... and with tables that could have an entire army sat at them at any one time. Which, she supposed, was probably what happened, especially after a big battle. They may have been empty now, but during those celebrations, there would be hundreds, if not thousands of people crammed into the halls, feasting and laughing and generally being boisterous. At least, if the tales she had read about the Vikings were to be told correctly.

And yet she knew she had only seen a small fraction of the palace. There were so many more rooms to see and marvel at.

But the room that intrigued her the most was the library. It looked huge, like every other room in this place, but unlike them, it seemed dusty and tired and full of shadows and darkness. it was also the room, Thor informed her, that Loki spent most of his time in, which was, Jane admitted to herself, the main reason she hadn't gone in yet, even though she had been in Asgard for three days.. After the last time she had seen him, she was very apprehensive over what would happen when she saw him again.

"Oh, come on, Jane. You've got to go this anyway, no point on putting it off." She scolded herself aloud as she exited her chambers. She had just woken up an hour ago and after a lengthy bath in a bathtub that matched the proportions of the rest of the palace and was made entirely of gold, dressed herself in one of the many gorgeous gowns that was on offer, in the wardrobe. It had been another agonizing decision, but this time it wasn't a lack of nice clothes that made it hard to chose, but an abundance of them. Eventually she had chosen a fir-green, of the shoulder robe that had black fir trimmings along the neck, cuffs of the sleeves and the hem of the skirt. All the other ones had made her feel swamped with splendor, so she chose the least attention seeking of the lot and decided to wear that.

By the time she had arrived at the library, her nerves had come back, in full force. But she couldn't turn around and leave; Loki had probably already seen her and if she left now, it would be... losing, in a way. She wasn't going to lose. Not this one.

"Loki?" Jane called uncertainly. There was no reply. Of course there wouldn't be! Loki was probably still annoyed at her; he wasn't going to make it easy for her to talk to him. She was going to have to do it another way.

* * *

"Loki?" He could hear Jane calling. From his place in the shadows, he sighed. Why couldn't people just leave him be? He had so much to read and research on before he could formulate an escape plan... one that would make sure that next time he returned here, it would be as its king, not its traitor.

"Loki... I know when we last talked, things went a little...um, weird. But, I'd like a chance to talk to you, to try to make things right. And even if... even if you don't want t talk to me right now, that's fine. I'm just hoping... I'll be in Asgard three more weeks and I'm hoping that by the end of that we'll be... uh, if not friends, at least... reconciled? Or something?"

Well, that was unexpected. He would have thought the girl would have hated him, like everybody else, after the lat time they talked, but she wanted to... say sorry? Loki cocked his head to the side and stared long and hard at Jane. Was she serious? Or was this some kind of trick, of joke? She seemed genuine; Loki knew what lies looked like better than anybody.

He might as well talk to her. It wouldn't hurt anybody.

Stepping out of the shadows, he greeted her with a simple 'Hello, Jane.'

* * *

"Hello, Jane." Jane jolted and spun around. Loki was right behind her, watching her with amusement in his eyes, but also a hint of... wariness? She couldn't tel very easily: Loki wasn't the type to let any emotions show that he didn't want to.

"Um, hey." She replied, not at all eloquently. Damn, why did she always turn into a mess of stupid when Loki was around? It was probably just the way he always had this air of great confidence that caused Jane's tongue to turn into a giant knot.

Loki simply raised one black eyebrow and waited for her to start talking. It seemed to be her turn to talk, then. Huh.

"Loki, I'm sorry." The words started gushing out. "I was angry and tired and what I said was totally uncalled for. Whatever else I could of accused you of, I said things that were completely untrue and... god, I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I'm so, so sorry." Jane breathed out, a large whoosh of air.

Loki stared at her a moment, his posture tense and his eyes hard and unreadable, before the ice flecks inside them melted and his eyes returned to that soft sky blue they had been before.

"I suppose I should accept your apology, then." His lips quirked upwards and Jane found herself smiling back at him in relief. That went better than she had hoped, much better.

"Well... that's great." Wow, Jane. That was so smooth. Really, really smooth. So smooth she could get a job as a politician and feed lies to the general public with ease. That was her job as an astrophysicist finished; she had now found her true calling.

Jane blinked, confused. Where had all the sarcasm come from? Darcy must be rubbing off on her, she told herself.

Unless it was Loki who was rubbing off on her, that little voice that kept saying forbidden things murmured to her. Jane dismissed it; how could she learn habits from Loki, she had only met him few times.

A few times to many, Thor would say, the voice insisted on telling her, and Jane prickled with guilt that crept through her, like a thorny plant. However much she tried to justify this, it was still wrong. The very way that this had been kept from Thor showed how wrong it was. What was she even doing? Hanging out with Thor's homicidal brother?

"Well, when you've finished talking to yourself, you might want to pay attention to the fact that a very angry Thor is coming our way." Loki's voice cut through her thoughts and she turned her head to see Thor striding towards us, anger indeed upon his countenance. But not anger at her, it would seem, as he was glaring at Loki; if looks could kill, Loki would be dead on the floor right this moment.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Thor had finally reached them and pulled Jane into his arms. Jane held herself stiffly; she didn't want to pull away, but this sudden affection felt... wrong. Thor even being here felt wrong; his footsteps and large voice echoed around the library accusingly and made her cringe. Loki seemed to feel the same way, from the corner of her eye, she watched him as he took a step back from Thor and returned his glare.

After a tense few second, Jane wriggled free of Thor's arms.

"Thor, what's wrong?"

"Jane, why are you here?"

"I... wanted to read."

"But there are plenty of books in your chambers." Thor looked, perplexed at her.

"Yes, but... I wanted to come and see what was down here. It looked really interesting... what's wrong with that anyway?" She shot back at Thor. He did not even need to say a word, just looked up and stared at Loki, who smiled viciously back at him. No wonder Thor didn't want her to go anywhere near Loki; wearing that smile, he looked like he was here to smash her head against a wall repeatedly, not to talk to her.

"Thor, it's fine. It's okay. Seriously, I can look after myself." She must have looked more convincing then she felt, because after a few seconds, Thor relaxed slightly, but turned worried eyes to Thor.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Yes! Who's gonna hurt me here, anyway? Nobody here is stupid enough to hurt me in the palace, surrounded by guards. I don't need to stay in my chambers all day." Jane could hear herself practically pleading and Thor could hear it too. After a long moment, he nodded slightly and turned to leave.

"Jane." He whispered in her ear. "He is not called Silvertongue for nothing. Take care." And with those cryptic words, he strode off.

Loki was grinning at her and Thor in a way that suggested he had heard every word.

"I see my brother thinks that I might be a danger to you. It's almost sweet, the way he cares for you. Sickeningly sweet." Loki was back to his snarky self and Jane could feel herself relax. She hadn't known how he would react to what just happened. She never knew how he would react to anything, she realized.

"Well, you wouldn't hurt me. Thor's just... being overprotective." Loki's eyes caught hers and glinted with laughter.

"How do you know I wouldn't hurt you?" Loki voice dropped to barely above whisper, soft, dangerous words coming out of his mouth. Jane felt herself shuffling backwards slightly as Loki moved closer to her, until her back hit the wall and she felt a sliver of panic; she was trapped. But then Loki stopped, right next to her and all thoughts went out of her head at the proximity. Up close, she could see a scar just above his lip, barely noticeable, but there. Where had he gotten that? And what was she doing, thinking about a scar? While she was distracted, Loki had leaned in closer still, until he was close enough to kiss her. Just a few more centimeters, and their lips would meet...

And then he pulled himself away slightly, smiling at her with that infuriatingly smug look on his face. Jane felt a strange sense of loss; it was as if, in that moment, with their bodies practically touching, she had felt... completed. What the hell even was that?

"in this case, you are right. You can rest assured, I will not hurt you, Jane Foster. There are so few people who are not completely stupid, it would be stupid, it would be shame to lower that number."

Jane blinked up at him for a few seconds, having completely forgotten what they had been talking about, before her ability to think came back to her.

"So, the only reason that you won't kill me is because I'm clever?" Jane raised her eyebrows at him, and Loki chuckled.

"Of course. Well, that, and the fact that I've quite grown to enjoy your company, Miss Foster. You are... slightly more interesting then most Asgardians I've met, let alone mortals."

"Hey, we're not that bad. Maybe if you took some time to get off your high horse and come meet a few, you'd know." Okay, that was definitely banter. When had bantering with Loki, Thor's brother and destroyer of New York, become a thing?

"Well, I would, but I fear most humans, should I meet them, would start trying to kill me, since I don't think I made a very good first impression. maybe in a few hundred years, perhaps?"

Jane suddenly was overcome by a wave of anger. He didn't care about the fact he had killed hundreds, if not thousands, destroyed so many homes, businesses; wrecked so many people's lives. She jerked back from him and looked at him reproachfully.

"You don't care, do you? All those people's lives you wrecked; you just don't care! Why is it that you even even talk to me, when other 'mortals' lives are so insignificant to you?!"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? It was a war, Jane. In war, there is collateral damage. That is always inevitable." Loki explained, a little bit of steel coming out with his voice. Jane gaped at him. Was that really what he thought? Did he really care so little?

Loki, seeing her face, sighed, and said in a more appeasing tone: "To be entirely honest, I did not want the amount of casualties that there was. It was designed to be a peaceful takeover. But... of course, these things never do go as plan." He hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly admitted "It was a foolish plan, borne not of logic, but of mere anger. Should I do it again, there would be many things I would have changed."

Jane looked at him for a long moment, scarcely believing her ears. Was he... admitting his mistakes? That was new. But he looked sincere enough. She slowly nodded and the serious look on his face dissolved into a slight smile.

They didn't say anything for while. There wasn't any need; all the things that needed to be said were said.

"So, why do they call you Silvertongue?" Jane asked, finally, curiosity taking over care, as usual.

Loki laughed, a full genuine laugh, the kind she had not heard him do in such a long time. "I can show you, if you wish."

"Um, okay." Jan agreed, trying not to let her interest show to much.

"That book over there is very interesting." Loki spoke, and she could finally see why was called Silvertongue. The words fell like silken webs, slithering softly into her ears and dancing gracefully through her head. It was true. That book did seem so very interesting; she picked it up and smoothed her had over the cover. Just to see what it said, just a little peek...

"Jane." She was jolted from her revelry as Loki shook her gently. She blinked and shook her head wildly, remnants of his voice still dancing around her head.

"You looked like you were going to eat that book. I would prefer you not to, it is quite valuable, though not the most thrilling of reads." Loki teased her, his hands sliding from her upper arms to her shoulders and stayed there. It was such a casual touch; did he even know how weird it made her feel, all tingly and breathless? Probably not. She dismissed these feelings from her mind and looked down at the book: Asgardian Methods Of Warfare.

"I imagine it probably isn't." She agreed, causing Loki to laugh again and her to grin almost foolishly, strangely pleased she had made him laugh like that, that she had made him happy. What was this? What was even going on? She was behaving really weirdly, like some kind of schoolgirl.

They stayed like this for more then a minute, silent again. But a comfortable silence. Until Jane noticed the clock like pattern painted on the wall, which reminded her that time was ticking and she had thing to do.

"Oh! I'm... I have to go now. Thor said there was some kind of feast he thought I should attend and I suppose I'd better go." Jane explained, her once burning desire to go to this feast and see what it was like almost evaporated.

Loki nodded, assenting. "Well, goodbye, Jane. It has been a pleasure to meet you... for the second time." Jane mentally went 'what?' for a second, before remembering that this was supposed to be the second time they had met and she laughed and took Loki's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you too." She said primly and their laughter joined together and flew out into the air.

And then she had to go and Loki melted back into the darkness of the library and Jane walked off down one of the corridors towards her room.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy.

* * *

Thor watched Jane as she walked away, back towards her room and pondered on what had just happened. Contrary to what they believed, he had not left, but had stayed to make sure Jane was okay. He had seen the way Loki touched her and the way she had reacted, the way that they laughed and talked together, like they were best friends. Or more. Thor could feel his heart almost bursting with jealousy; Jane never behaved with him the way she behaved with Loki. And that was the confusing part. How could she have cultivated this strange closeness from only meeting him twice, and once barely even talking to him? Thor knew that there was something he din't know about all this and he was determined to get to the bottom of this. Anything to keep Jane safe.

With uncharacteristic silence, Thor turned and left the area, grimly determined to find out what was really happening.

* * *

 _And that's a wrap! Sorry, it took so long for me to update, but on the bright side, you get a longer chapter and lots of Loki/Jane interaction!_

 _Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to WinterCandyMints, who always believed that Loki and Jane would reconcile, even when the odds were slim._

 _I hope you enjoyed that! Reviewers get a cookie. (::)_


	8. Chapter 8

It was too hot in the banquet hall. Jane fidgeted in her seat, the silks of her dress sticking to her skin. Nobody seemed to notice her discomfort; they were all too busy pouring alcohol down their throats and roaring across at each other from either side of the table. Across the room, she could see two Asgardians had gotten up onto the table and were performing some kind of stumbling jig, whilst the people all around them alternated between cheering them on and laughing hysterically. Her side of the room hadn't gotten to that state of inebriation yet, but they were well on their way there. Thor had his arm around her and was howling with laughter at something Fandral had said which she hadn't caught in the din. His voice was raucous in her ears and Jane winced; she could already feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.

There seemed to be no air in the hall; it was sucked up by the noise and the heat and... no more, she needed to move, needed to get out, couldn't breathe...

"Are you alright?" Thor asked. Jane was looking very flushed and desperately trying to pull herself out of his arms.

"I just need to get some air... I'll... just give me a moment." Jane replied, before finally untangling herself and turning to run out the hall. Nobody noticed her apart from Thor, who watched her appraisingly for a moment before turning back to the feast.

* * *

Jane breathed in the cool night air, her hands pressed firmly against the rail of the balcony. It was a stunning night; the stars were out in their full glory, but she couldn't appreciate them this time. She was still shaken after that feeling that had come over her at the feast, and by the bitter memories of this morning...

 _"Thor?" Jane called out. "Thor!"  
Thor paused and turned his head, waiting for her to catch up.  
"What's wrong, Jane?" He asked, a gentle smile on his face. Once upon a time, a smile like that would have sent Jane's heart fluttering like a bird, but now it felt patronising and annoyance rose up in Jane's throat. But she pushed it down; she had other things to discuss.  
"So, when me and Loki were talking... the other day... he-" Thor frowned and held up his hand, interrupting her.  
"Ah, yes. I've been meaning to speak to you about that. Jane, you must be careful, Loki is dangerous. He will use anything he can to get back at me and Odin, even hurting you. Jane, I don't want you to talk to him anymore." Thor ended, apparently satisfied with their conversation. He turned and made as if to walk away.  
"Thor, wait! I wanted to talk to you... about the stars!" Jane called out.  
"The stars"  
"Yes. He said the stars were very beautiful in Asgard and I was wondering whether you'd take me to see them?"  
Thor turned to look at her, bemusement and confusion on his face. "You can see the stars from any window in the palace; why would you need me to take you?"  
Jane deflated, all her eagerness and excitement rushing out of her. He didn't understand. "I just thought... we could go somewhere quiet, just us two, and just... enjoy them?"  
Thor looked at her in what seemed like a pitying way before slowly answering.  
"Jane, I'm very busy... and of all the wonders in Asgard, why would you wish to merely look at stars with me? We are having a banquet tonight... join me there. I think you will enjoy it." Thor smiled, sure that Jane would be happy with this answer and strode away.  
Jane felt the annoyance that had been building up in her throat turn to rage. How dare he?! How dare he act like this with her, act so pitying and condescending, treating her like a child?! And telling her who she could and couldn't talk to! The rage flooded through her body and poured out of her mouth like a river, unstoppable.  
"WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHO TO TALK TO, ANYWAY?!" She screamed at him. Thor stiffened, surprised at her outburst. She tried to rein it in, tried to stop it, but the part of her that wanted to scream and show the world just how angry she was was in control and had no intention of stopping.  
"I AM A GROWN WOMEN! YET YOU TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD! WHO GAVE YOU THE DAMN RIGHT!?" The words dried up and she stood there, simply trembling in anger. It was such a small thing; yet she felt as if she had been bottling all of her feelings of anger and resentment up for a while and Thor was the one to finally open the bottle and unleash the storm.  
"Jane, I am sorry that I have made you feel this way. Please forgive me." Thor now stood before her, looking like a kicked puppy. Jane felt her anger begin to leak away; it was impossible to stay angry at Thor when he was making that face.  
"Fine."  
"Jane, come to the banquet with me. You will enjoy yourself; it can be in your honour, if you wish." Thor looked so earnest, so sweet, that Jane couldn't refuse him, as little as she desired to go to this banquet anyway.  
"Okay, fine. I'll go. Don't make it in in my honour or anything. I'll just... I'll go." Thor beamed at her and spontaneously bent down to kiss her forehead, before turning and finally walking away. Jane watched him go, that anger that had fuelled her earlier still bubbling inside her, small and controllable now, but still there._

* * *

"What are you thinking so deeply about, Miss Foster?" Loki's dulcet tones cut through the air and Jane blinked in surprise before turning her head to look at him. She hadn't had any contact, or indeed seen him, since that day in the library and Jane was beginning to wonder if they'd ever talk again. But as usual, Loki had his own times for things.

"Nothing, really." She replied, her voice guarded.

"In my experience, you have the kind of mind that is never in the state of thinking about nothing, Miss Foster, unlike all the other dull creatures that inhabit these worlds. So tell me, Jane, what matter graces your mind at this present moment?" Loki smirked at her, looking like the cat who'd got the cream and Jane had an inexplicable need to share. After wrestling with it for a second, she sighed and let the words she was dying to say come out.

"I had a fight with Thor this morning, well, not really a fight, I got angry at him and he was sweet, AS USUAL, but it still doesn't make things better." Seeing Loki's curious gaze, she went on. "I wanted to see the stars, properly, not just from my window. But he's busy and doesn't see the point of it anyway and it wouldn't be as much fun with him as it would be with..." The last word stuck in her throat; you. When did she get so fond of Loki as to enjoy being in his company and doing stuff with him?

Loki seemed to consider what she had just said for a moment, before delivering comically solemnly, his judgement.

"Anger seems to be a natural state for you. Is it like this for all humans?" He enquired, as if he genuinely wanted to know. Strangely, Jane didn't feel any sort of said emotion at this jab, but instead felt herself smile.

"Hey!" She cried, whacking him on the arm lightly, grinning furiously, her mood before forgotten. Loki pulled his arm back and stared at with a wounded expression before muttering under his breath about primitive humans and violence. But Jane could see he was inwardly laughing; the corners of his mouth were turned up slightly: if she was a stranger, she wouldn't have noticed that. But she wasn't a stranger, she realised; she was, what could be considered, his _friend._

"If you want to see the stars, you could have just asked me. I would gladly take you." Loki offered. She stared at him for a moment; the idea had not even crossed her mind that he would take her, so preoccupied with the thought of Thor doing so. It would be romantic, her brain had supplied. Another, deeper part, had suggested it might even be the way to stitch their ripping relationship back together, but Jane pushed that down. Their relationship was fine. Sure, they had a few arguments, but what couple didn't?

"Are you going to continue to gape at me like a fish or is there an answer?" Loki's voice, slightly mocking brought her back to herself again. She blushed lightly and nodded furiously. The upturned corners of Loki's mouth turned into a full smile and he offered him her hand, as graceful as a gentlemen in one of those old movies Darcy was always watching. She took it; his hand was cool and smooth, with calloused fingers that suggested years of weapon training and... writing, if the tiny bumps on the sides of his fingers were anything to go by. But she didn't have time to contemplate his hands long; she suddenly felt a rushing wind envelope them and everything turned black.

* * *

They materialised on a stone ridge. Jane stumbled, dizzy with he sudden travel, but Loki caught her hand and pulled her to her feet gently. once she had gotten her bearings, Jane noticed the tall cliff that towered over them. it was a completely vertical incline and Jane felt a touch of confusion; were they expected to go up there?

"This way." Loki murmured, his voice barely distinguishable from the soft rustling of the leaves as the wind danced through them. Jane followed him, growing even more puzzled; it seems they were going towards the cliff, but how would they go up? it didn't make sense.

Loki lead her to the base of the cliff, where he ran his hand along the stone, searching for something. it didn't take him long, his hand caught on a piece of jutting stone that after closer inspection, looked rather like a doorknob... Loki whispered something under his breath that sent tingles down her spine and the door opened. _Magic._

He led her through the door and up a circling staircase. It went on for a long time and they proceeded slowly, the stone was uneven and the only light came from a twinkling ball that had appeared in Loki's hands as they began their journey up these stairs. Jane sensed that if Loki was alone, he would have completed this journey by now, but was kindly letting her go up slowly. How strange; such a small kindness, but kindness nonetheless from a person she would never have thought could give any, the first time she had met him.

"Why don't you teleport up there?" She asked finally, breaking the silence that had settled over them like a layer of snow. Loki regarded her for a moment, his eyes a deep shade of turquoise in the low golden light.

"Using magic like that would attract too much attention from other magic users; it was risky getting as close as we did. I would quite like to keep this place a secret, I am quite fond of it."

"Why did you come so close in the first place?"

Loki smirked and met Jane's eyes. "I am fairly sure you would not enjoy the journey I usually take to get to this place. It was rather a distance and would take too long with a mortal tagging behind." Jane nodded, her eyes still on Loki's. They were such pretty eyes; they shone with wicked intelligence, in a way that no boyfriend of hers had ever had. Not that Loki was her boyfriend. She was completely loyal to Thor and was definitely not experiencing any feeling for his brother of all things. That would be preposterous.

The stone evened and out and moments later, they arrived at a dead end, the stairs blocked by a stone wall. Loki reached his hand up and pushed against the ceiling, uttering those words he'd used earlier. The ceiling- no, a trapdoor gave way, letting in soft moonlight. Loki climbed swiftly out of the trapdoor and pulled Jane up, as carefully as if she were a china doll.

They were in a clearing, surrounded by trees. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, washing out all the colours, leaving everything pure and pale. Flowers, which during the day would be vivid colours, were now delicate shadows dancing in the gentle breeze.

"Close your eyes." Loki's voice was amused, but quiet, blending in with the stillness of the night. Jane did so, breath slowing in anticipation. She felt him take her hand and lead her forwards.

"Now open them." He murmured, his breath tickling the back of her neck. He was so close... she could feel the coolness emanating from him. The back of her neck flooded with heat and she could feel her cheeks go bright red. She thanked the darkness then; he would surely have seen and commented on her general state of redness if he could see her.

Then she opened her eyes and all was forgotten.

Loki was known all all the realms as a liar and a deceiver, but he had told her the absolute truth when he had told her the stars were magnificent.

The stars were almost blindingly bright, thousands of them blinking down at her, their stark beauty leaving her breathless. They were a thousand burning souls, dancing in the night sky. The shimmering light washed over her and in that moment, a moment that Jane would remember for the rest of her life, she knew what heaven looked like.

* * *

Loki watched her gaze of rapture in quiet pleasure. Her eyes were big and round, reflecting the light of a thousand stars. She was... stunning. Not in the way that Sif was, all that cold, icy beauty, she was fire and passion and at the same time, peace; she reminded him of the flickering flames of fire burning within the hearth as his mother read stories to them, red and orange laced with pinks and purples and flickering blues. She was everything he had ever needed.

And she was forbidden.

But Loki didn't let himself think of that. He focused instead, on the way her mouth formed an oh of delighted surprised, her hands curling around his. So beautiful and so bright and not afraid, not afraid to touch him.

He didn't know what to think of her anymore.

Eventually, when the first streaks of dawn began to caress the sky, she turned to him him, eyes burning with life.

"That was... it was..."

"I know."

"Thank you." The look she gave him, one of pure appreciation, warmed him. He had not seen anybody thankful to him for such a long time; he had caused so much chaos and pain.

But maybe this night, with this women, was enough to begin to change everything.

She moved backwards suddenly, stumbling, he caught her in his arms, tenderly. Her eyes were now laced with tiredness and he knew that she needed to rest. Mortals were such delicate creatures.

"How does sleep sound?" He enquired laughingly and was rewarded with a beaming smile.

"It sounds good."

"Then let's go home."

* * *

 _Thank you so much for waiting so patiently for this update. I hope you enjoyed it. I intended it to be more cutesy but it came out as Loki finally falling irreversibly in love with Jane. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Reviewers get cookies! (::)_


	9. Chapter 9

The edges of the book were decorated in swirling illustrations of frost. Loki's fingers absentmindedly followed the pattern as he sat, deep in thought. It had taken him a long time, but after venturing into the deepest art of the library and burying himself in books for hours on end, he had finally found the one boom he was looking for; _The Life and Culture of Jotuns_ , it read. Loki had not found many books on Frost Giants in this library and the ones he had were mostly about how to kill them. He'd leafed through one in morbid curiosity; the graphic description of Frost Giants being burnt alive made him shudder, thoughts of flames creeping along his own skin and devouring him. He had not continued with that book, preferring to pursue something less horrific and more informative. And he had finally found it. The author had put a great deal of detail into his work; he had even spent some time in the Jotun cities, learning about their culture. This was long before the war, during which Loki was born. Long ago, when this book had been written, Asgardians and Jotuns had presumably been on at least civil terms with each other. If it had not been so, the man would never have survived to write this book.

It was a large volume; he had only read a small amount of it, even after he'd been hunched over the tome, laboriously reading for hours. Words had started to blur into each other and Loki could only remember a fraction of what he had learnt from this book. Still, it was enough for now; he had read about Jotun lifespans and biology and also about their marriage and romance customs. Jotuns had one partner for life and it was rarely ever seen that a Jotnar would remarry after their spouse's death. Loki had assumed that that was simply an element of their culture, that is was unacceptable to have more than one partner; after all, Loki had never felt any real need to stay with one woman, or man. But then he came across a part in the biology section that claimed that Frost Giants, once they had truly bonded, would find it exceedingly difficult to fall out of that love and into another. For Loki, who went through lovers like a child goes through clothes, this was a confusing and troubling concept... never being able to fall out of love with a person sounded like a miserable existence and one he may be fated to have.

Soft footsteps shook him out of his reverie and he turned his head to see Jane walking lightly towards him, clothed in a pair of flannel pyjamas decorated with soft blue swirls that matched the frost decorating the book. He had not seen her for a few days, ever since he had taken her to go see the stars. Apparently Thor had noticed the amused smiles they'd give each other, smiles that suggested they were more than just acquaintances, and he had obviously decided he didn't like this at all. Therefore, he had made a great effort to keep Jane away from Loki, by whisking her from place to another; even bringing her along on meetings with council members. He claimed that it would be very informative for Jane, but all Jane learnt in those meetings was how to try and stop herself falling asleep from boredom. These 'adventures' as Thor liked to call them, left her so drained that once they came home, she could barely manage to crawl into bed, let alone go and walk through miles of library to find Loki. And Loki felt her absence; even, he reluctantly admitted to himself missed her. He hadn't realised how much she had managed to wiggle her way through the stone walls of his heart until, sitting alone in the library for what felt like eternities on end, he craved the comfort of her voice, her hot temper and inquisitiveness; the way her eyes brightened when she talked about the stars, hands wildly gesticulating. He had missed that; the fire in the long cold comfortless days that he lived, had lived, for longer than he could remember.

"Hi." Came the soft spoken syllable.

"Hello, Miss Foster." He grinned at her, watching the way her eyes lingered on his face for a few seconds and then settle on the book. Curiosity entered her gaze and she looked back at him enquiringly.

"This is a book about the Jotnar species." He explained briefly. Her mouth formed a silent 'oh' and she nodded in understanding.

"That's what you are, isn't it? I mean... what you were born as..." She bit her lip. "Thor told me all about you, and them. He said that they were evil creatures, but I can't believe that... not an entire race." Her face crumpled into a frown and Loki felt the urge to reach out and smooth the lines on her brow.

"Every race has their evil and good. Asgardians are no angels." He smiled bitterly. He knew all too well the malicious side of Asgardians, especially towards people who were... different.

Jane watched him in concern; she had gone and put her foot in it again, hadn't she? She seemed to be making a habit of that. But he didn't seem angry at her, only... tired, almost. And a little mournful.

"If it helps, I don't think you're really the bad guy." She spoke up, her voice gently echoing across the library. Loki glanced at her, one side of his mouth lifting into a crooked smile. He was so beautiful when he smiled like that: a genuine smile, Jane thought, and violently tried to push that thought away. She was dating his brother, for God's sake, this was inappropriate.

"All serene?" Loki had evidently noticed her silence and so she broke into a fake smile, nodding a little too enthusiastically. Loki wasn't fooled for a moment, but for once, he left it pass. Neither of them were in the mood for being interviewed. Jane pulled up a chair and plopped down next to him, filling the silence with idle chit chat and lots and lots of questions. But, strangely, Loki wasn't all that irritated by them; he found them amusing and he loved her enthusiasm, the way she wanted to learn - he didn't meet many people like that in Asgard and even fewer who wanted to talk to him. It was refreshing, he found, talking to somebody from an entirely different environment.

"I don't understand you, Jane." The words were out before he could think about them, and Jane stopped abruptly, looking at him in confusion.

"I tried to take over your home planet and kill Thor on multiple occasions. And yet, you are still willing to forgive me, and to become... well, my friend."

Jane smiled and leaned forwards, wisps of her hair falling in her face. She absentmindedly pushed them back behind her ear as she considered what he just said.

"I guess... I mean, what you did was terrible, but... I think it's important to forgive people. My whole life, I was ridiculed by the scientific community, but now... what can I do but forgive them? I've realised there is no point in bottling up anger and plotting revenge. It just makes everybody unhappy and that's not the point. There's this quote... my dad used to tell it to me all the time when I was little. "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." I didn't understand it then, but now, after all that's gone on, I think I do."

"I see." And he did, really. He had never considered it in that way, but it did make sense.

Jane stared hard at him for a moment and then unexpectedly yawned, covering her mouth in surprise. Loki observed her, amused.

"I'm sorry, I've just had a really long day. We went to this council meeting and I had to sit there, surrounded by old men arguing about something to do with the fruit trade and work out how to sleep without people noticing... which i didn't manage to." The weirdness of the that situation hit her suddenly and she started giggling, lying her head against the table.

"Well, the council can get rather... tedious, at times. I would have thought they'd have finished the debate about the fruit trade, considering that has been going on since before I was even imprisoned, but then, the council is infamously slow in their decisions. Have you heard about the the Long Meeting?" Jane shook her head, still laughing and Loki began to regale her with the tale of how the council had fought for over 100 years on how to best to punish a human taken prisoner after he had tried to declare war on the gods, only to discover that by the time they had decided the correct punishment, he had long died of old age, rotting away in a cell. By the time he had finished, they were both laughing almost hysterically, their voices travelling down the hallways, full of mirth.

This moment, Jane mused once she had managed to catch the breath, was not one she had ever thought she would share with the man sitting beside her, but it felt... right. She couldn't imagine laughing like this with Thor, imagine Thor being able to tell a story with such skill, or being so animated while he did so. That was all Loki; and only Loki made her feel like this, like she was... _complete._ And Jane understood, for the first time, that this wasn't just friendship. This was love.

* * *

Thor woke up covered in sweat. He tossed and turned trying to sleep again, but it was too hot; he needed some air. He got up and dressing quickly, padded down the hallway, letting his feet guide him. His sleep had been full of interruptions recently, with the stress of taking on kingly duties and being part of the Avengers, as well as trying to keep his relationship with Jane strong. He was failing at that, he knew. He could feel her beginning to slip through his fingers, as the silences between them when they were together grew longer, the fights more frequent and violent, the way she stiffened when he kissed her.

Thor was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of laughter drifting down the hallways. He slowed, perplexed, before seemingly unconsciously deciding to follow the laughter. He quietly walked along the hall and down to the library, following the sound. Now he was closer, it was familiar, this sound, it sounded like... Loki? Loki and somebody else, a woman's voice, light and happy...

And then he turned the corner and saw them. Jane was sitting in the chair next to Loki, leaning towards him, only a few inches between them. Loki's eyes were watching her lips as she talked animatedly and she smiled up at him, the definition of joy. They were so close... too close... people who were only friends did not sit that close, talk that intimately... Thor felt fierce, burning jealously blossom in his chest. He had asked Jane to keep away from Loki, taken all the precautions to make sure of it, and here she was, practically sitting on his lap! Thor had not felt such hatred towards anybody for a long time, as he felt towards Loki now. He understood now, why Jane was slowly starting to drift away... _he_ was stealing her from him, with sweet words and other manipulations.

It was then, Thor determined, he would get to the bottom of this. He would talk to Jane and once he had found out the truth, he would take her as far away from Loki as was possible. And with that decision, he turned and strode away, anger still burning in his chest. He would not get any more sleep that night.

* * *

 _Thank you all so much, my wonderful readers, for waiting so long for this one! I hoped you liked it. All reviewers get cookies! (::)_

 _If you have any questions about the story, just send me a review or pm me and I'll explain all. Thank you!_


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